Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Adam Wilcox, who opened eyes as a freshman goalie at Minnesota’s South Saint Paul HS in 2007-08, was even more impressive as a sophomore. Wilcox finished the season with a record of 16-6-3 with a 2.38 GAA and .903 save percentage. He seemed to play especially well in big games and under duress – including a 41 save effort in a 1-1 tie with Section 4A rival Saint Thomas Academy. Wilcox was selected by the Green Bay Gamblers in the 17th round (221st overall) of the USHL Entry Draft. In five games at USA Hockey’s Select 17 Camp Wilcox allowed 7 goals on 75 shots and had a 2.80 GAA and .907 save percentage for Team Red.

2009-10: Wilcox, in his third year as South Saint Paul’s starter, was 11-11 in 23 games with a 3.33 GAA and .886 save percentage. Wilcox accepted a scholarship offer to play at the University of Minnesota in 2012-13.

2010-11: Wilcox chose to forego his senior year of high school hockey and split time with USHL Second Team goaltender Ryan McKay for the defending champion Green Bay Gamblers. While McKay saw the bulk of the action for the Gamblers – particularly in Eastern Division second-place Green Bay’s playoff run to the Clark Cup finals – Wilcox played well when given the opportunity. In 24 regular season contests, he was 16-6 with one loss in OT and had 1 shutout with a 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage. Wilcox appeared in two playoff games and stopped 37 of 38 shots in 88 minutes of action. He was rated 28th among the 30 North American goalies listed in Central Scouting’s final rankings and selected by the Lightning in the 6th round (178th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

2011-12: Wilcox was expected to be the Green Bay’s starter in his second USHL season before Ryan McKay unexpectedly returned for another season. He began the year with the Gamblers but was traded to the Tri-City Storm after appearing in nine games. He was 7-2 with 2 shutouts for the Gamblers and provided an immediate boost for the struggling Storm following the trade. Wilcox played 43 games between the two teams, finishing 23-20 with 3 shutouts, and had a 2.77 goals-against and .916 save percentage. The Storm finished sixth in the West Division and were swept by Waterloo in a best-of-three playoff series. Wilcox started both playoff games and had a 4.70 goals against and .842 save percentage.

2012-13: Wilcox stepped into a starting role for the University of Minnesota as a freshman and was one of the top goalies in college hockey. Playing in 39 of 40 games for the Gophers, he was 25-8-5 with 3 shutouts and had a 1.88 goals-against and .921 save percentage. Minnesota finished tied for first with St. Cloud State in the WCHA regular season. The Gophers season came to a disappointing end as Minnesota lost to Colorado College, 2-0, in the WCHA semifinals and fell to national champion Yale, 3-2 in overtime in the NCAA West Regional semifinals.

2013-14: Wilcox was named the Big 10 Hockey Conference player of the year following his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota. He was 26-6-6 in 38 games with 4 shutouts and had a 1.97 goals against and .932 save percentage. The Golden Gophers finished first in the newly-formed conference in the regular season. After an upset loss to Ohio State in the Big 10 tournament semifinals, Minnesota defeated Robert Morris and St. Cloud State to capture the NCAA West Regional and then defeated North Dakota, 2-1, with a game-winning short-handed goal in the game’s final second. Union defeated Minnesota, 7-4, in the Frozen Four championship game.

2014-15: Wilcox signed a two-year entry-level contract with Tampa Bay in April 2015 following his junior season at the University of Minnesota and made his pro hockey debut with Lightning AHL affiliate Syracuse. He played two late season regular games with the Crunch and was 0-2 with a 3.18 goals against and .875 save percentage. Wilcox stopped 14 of 15 shots in 32 minutes of action in relief of starter Kristers Gudlevskis in his only playoff appearance. He appeared in 38 games with the Golden Gophers in his final season of college hockey as Minnesota won its second straight Big 10 regular season title and earned the conference’s lone NCAA tournament berth after defeating Michigan, 4-2, in the Big 10 championship game. The Gophers lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 4-1, in the Northeast Regional semifinals. Wilcox finished the year 22-12-3 with 6 shutouts and had a 2.42 goals against and .912 save percentage.

Talent Analysis

Wilcox is a cousin of Sharks' goalie Alex Stalock, who also played youth hockey in South Saint Paul. Not surprisingly, Wilcox plays a similar style to the former UM-D netminder. Like Stalock he likes to challenge shooters and is an aggressive goaltender. He is willing to handle the puck and move it to teammates to start the transition. He is very consistent and plays with confidence. Wilcox showed steady progress during his three seasons at the University of Minnesota, signing an entry-level contract with Tampa Bay following his junior season.

Future

Wilcox was a workhorse for the University of Minnesota in his three years of college hockey before signing an entry-level contract with Tampa Bay in April 2015. With Andrei Vasilevskiy likely to be in Tampa Bay on a full-time basis in 2015-16, Wilcox is expected to begin his pro career with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch sharing the goaltending with Kristers Gudlevskis. Like the other goalies in the Tampa Bay system he has the requisite skills to be an NHL starter one day provided he continues to develop.

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